Some lawyers called the directive obstruction of justice, but Mr. Trump’s lawyers said he was delivering an opinion, not an order.

Mr. Trump also compared the treatment of the notorious mobster Al Capone to the case of Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s onetime campaign chairman, who is on trial as a result of the special counsel’s investigation.

The special counsel has shaken up Washington’s lobbying industry, forwarding three cases involving powerful Republican and Democratic Beltway figures to prosecutors handling the case against Mr. Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.

More than $200 billion worth of products would be affected, and President Trump has continued to double down on his threats since talks with Beijing fell apart in May.

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CreditTom Brenner/The New York Times

3. Two more pieces of news from the administration:

Officials are considering sharply reducing the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the U.S. One plan would set a cap of 25,000 for next year — more than a 40 percent drop from this year’s limit. Stephen Miller, above, a senior policy adviser, has created allies who are ready to sign off on deep cuts.

And the White House cleared the way for sales of health care policies that Mr. Trump said would provide “much less expensive health care at a much lower price.”

True enough. They also have far fewer benefits — no prescription drugs, say, or no maternity care. And they would not have to cover people with pre-existing conditions.

They argue that his false claims that the shooting was an elaborate hoax constitute defamation. He is trying to have the case dismissed, claiming his right to free speech.

Many of the other bogus theories his media platform has spread target President Trump’s perceived adversaries and reflect opinions held by his political base.

At a Trump rally in Florida on Tuesday, above, QAnon — possibly best described as a stew of conspiracy theories — had a big presence, on T-shirts and signs. Here’s a guide to the group and what it believes.

At the other end of the spectrum, Condé Nast, the media company behind magazines like The New Yorker and Vogue, plans to sell three publications. The company lost $120 million last year despite attempts to cut costs.

Late Monday, a judge blocked his attempt to publish instructions for making so-called ghost guns. The weapons are mostly plastic, don’t have serial numbers and are largely untraceable. Lawmakers and politicians see the weapons as an unchecked threat.

To Mr. Wilson, above, the fight is less about guns than about renegotiating the relationship between citizens and the state.

Mr. Wilson called his efforts to share the instructions “a pretty mainline American idea.”

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CreditIllustration by Claire Milbrath

10. Finally, if you’ve been hearing worrying calls about inflammation and free radicals, you’re not alone.